


The Climb to an Uprising

by Sirius04L



Series: The Chronicles of The Flash and Arrow [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Barry Allen Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s03e09 The Climb, Episode: s03e10 Left Behind, Episode: s03e11 Midnight City, Episode: s03e12 Uprising, Hurt Barry Allen, M/M, Major Character Injury, Oliver Queen Needs a Hug, Oliver Queen is Bad at Feelings, Protective Oliver, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24763159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirius04L/pseuds/Sirius04L
Summary: Oliver knows what he has to do to protect Thea - and he will do that no matter what the cost. He knows the risks, knows what he may lose, but none of that matters. He's saying his goodbyes and preparing himself for the worst. To bad he didn't tell Barry.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Oliver Queen
Series: The Chronicles of The Flash and Arrow [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763857
Comments: 8
Kudos: 65





	The Climb to an Uprising

**Author's Note:**

> So technically, this isn't a crossover. But I wanted to do Oliver's death in season 3 and Barry's reaction to it (and his reaction to him being alive at the end). A few people learn about their relationship.
> 
> I really wanted to get this out tonight, so I haven't done a full in-depth edit. So I apologize for any mistakes. I have limited access to the internet right now so I work on these when I can.

Hours - that seemed to be the measurement of all things now. 

At first it was 48 hours to find out the identity of Sara’s killer and bring them to justice. If not untold numbers of innocents would be killed. Something he could not let happen. When his DNA was a match to what had been left on the arrows he stared at the screen in confusion before it started to click. She wouldn’t. She  _ couldn’t _ . Turns out that she could. But Oliver knew his sister; he knew when she was hiding something and she honestly believed that she had never come back to Starling City with Merlyn. He would do whatever it took to keep her from bearing the same burdens that he did. 

12 hours. That was the amount of time that Oliver had been given now that he had taken responsibility for Sara’s death. He knew it was the right thing, protecting Thea, but thinking about what he was about to lose - he couldn’t think about that. 

12 hours to say his goodbyes and get his affairs in order. He reached for his phone before leaving in the small bag he had packed. Oliver wasn’t ready to make that call. 

“Oliver.”

“John, I have to do this,” He said looking up at the older man, sparing a small smile for Roy.

“I know, I’d just rather die than let you go it alone.”

Oliver fisted his hands around the bag before forcing them to relax. “Not this time.” He turned to Roy, keeping his voice even. “Take care of Thea.”

“Absolutely.”

He hugged him, keeping his eyes focused on the equipment behind him so none of them could see what he was really feeling. The fear, the anxiety. He had to stay strong, for them. For Thea - the whole reason he was doing this.

“I’m sorry. Something came up - oh.” Oliver watched as Felicity stopped a few feet away from them.

He smiled and reached out to shake Diggle’s hand, both giving a squeeze before they let go. If anyone knew Oliver was hiding something, it was that man, his brother in all but blood. “Let’s give them a minute,” Diggle said with one last look to Oliver before leading Roy out. 

“So you’re going? To Nanda Parbat?”

Oliver shook his head. “No, it's a neutral site. It’ll be fine. I’ll come back, Thea will be okay,” He said and smiled at her, packing the last of what he was taking with him. 

“I wish that sounded more convincing. I wish you wouldn’t go, but I know you better so I’m not going to ask you to stay.”

“I appreciate that.” Oliver knew he could say no to her, but he didn’t like doing it. He had to do this, had to protect the family he had left.

He watched from the corner of his eye as Felicity set her purse down. “But there is one thing I need to ask you to do. And you’re not going to want to.”

Oliver faced her, his eyes taking in the sad look on her face. Any sort of comfort he could give, he would. “Well, if it's you asking, I’ll do it.”

“Kill him - You have to kill Ra’s al Ghul. This is a duel, Oliver, with one of the most dangerous men that ever walked the earth.”

“I know, and I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think I would win.” A lie, he thought to himself, but one that he knew would pacify her. 

“I don’t doubt that. I don’t doubt that you can beat him. I am terrified that you won’t kill him. That’s not who you are anymore. And I am so afraid that Ra’s al Ghul will use your humanity against you.” She stepped closer to him, her eyes watering as she tried to hold everything back and keep herself together. Frankly Oliver was going to lose it if she did.

“Felicity, I honestly don’t know if I’m a killer anymore, but I do know two things. The first is that I will do whatever, whatever it takes to save my sister.” He said grabbing his bag and kissing her forehead softly. 

“The second thing?”

“You’re like a sister to me, Felicity. And I will do whatever it takes to protect you to. And to come back to you. I love you.”

“Oliver?” He turned back to her and leaned on the stair rail.. “What did you tell Barry?”

He took a deep breath. “Nothing, I haven’t told him anything.” 

“You didn’t call him? Let him know what was going on?”

“Felicity, he would just worry and come after me. If that happens They’ll come after Thea and Barry. And if I’m worrying about Barry too...I don’t. I can’t right now. I have to focus on Thea and keeping her safe.” And before she could get another word in, Oliver shut the door behind him.

As he made his way to the fight, his trial by combat, all Oliver could think of was what he was leaving behind, who he was leaving behind. He barely handled walking away from Team Arrow, and his everyday goodbye to Thea had been hard to. If she hadn’t been scrolling through her phone he doesn’t doubt that she would have noticed something was off about him. But Barry, he hadn’t even called, just sent him a normal text to say good morning. Barry had replied, as always, and said that he’d call him later. 

Oliver knew that if he told Barry the other hero would have wanted to come, to help him. Offer to take out Ra’s before the man could even make a move at Oliver. Oliver couldn’t let that happen, just like with Thea. He didn’t want that darkness to start taking over Barry’s life as well. Oliver would fight as hard as he could to get back to the ones he had left behind - he just didn’t think he would actually make it there. 

He pulled himself over the edge of the cliff and took a couple deep breaths in before walking forward. Soon, too soon, he saw a ring of stone columns. He set his bag against one and saw Maseo come towards him.

“Remove your shirts. This is custom.” He unzipped his jacket and pulled his sweater off, tossing them towards his bag, keeping his eyes on Maseo. “Ra’s al Ghul is not known to be merciful. But if there was a chance, this will be your final moment for it.”

Oliver stood his ground, the back of his mind screaming at him to take the chance, but he shut it down quickly. This was the right thing to do, the only thing to do. Either he won and his family would be safe or he would die and the outcome would be the same. He could see the small, frustrated breath leave Maseo. “Choose your weapon.”

He walked over and looked the different blades over, not his normal weapon of choice. Oliver quickly picked two swords, a little on the shorter side so he could put more power behind his swings. He turned his head when he heard his opponent start to speak. 

“I was 11 years old when I killed my first man. I remember the look on his face when the light went out behind his eyes. Such a subtle change. Almost imperceptible, between life and death. And I felt ashamed. I’d stolen from that man the most precious gift of all. Life. But I also felt something else; pride. Because I had taken up arms against someone who sought to do ill against my family. I realized what I had done was necessary. You see, I had replaced evil with death.”

Oliver watched as the man removed his jacket, shirt, and rings. He watched as the man he was about to fight turned to face him and begin to walk towards him as he started talking again. “And that is what The League exists to do. And I have killed several more thousand men since then and the world is better off for it.”

“You’ve taken your last life.”

“No, you have lived your last day. We are ready.”

Oliver took his eyes off of Ra’s al Ghul as Nyssa began walking towards him while carrying her father’s things. “I am envious of you. You will see her before I do.”

He focused back on the League’s leader and tightened his grip on the weapons he chose. Everything he had, everything he wanted to go back to. Every _ one _ he wanted to go back to. He was doing this for them, for their safety. 

“Fight me, boy.”

Oliver walked towards him, the cold not bothering him in the least. “You’re unarmed.”

“I will take your blades from you once you are through with them.”

He put everything he had into the fight, but the weight of the blades was throwing him off. Each time Ra’s landed a punch or twisted his body Oliver could feel the pain radiate. He did his best to ignore it, it wasn’t the first time he’d been injured fighting a more skilled adversary. He lost one of the blades and he felt slightly more balanced. The sword was heavier than his bow but he was more familiar with the feeling of a free hand. 

Oliver cried out when Ra’s sliced along his forearm and he gripped it momentarily before turning and launching at the man again. His patience was wearing thin and he wanted and needed the fight over and the fact the Ra’s al Ghul had basically kept one hand behind his back was angering Oliver further. The blunt hits to his stomach and chest knocked him back and as soon as he turned to fight again there was a sword pointed at the hollow of his throat.

“You should take pride - you’ve survived longer than most.” Oliver was forced around, his back now to the edge of the cliff he had climbed not long before. He moved quickly and managed to catch Ra’s off guard, getting him down to one knee and kicking the sword away from him. Oliver brought his own sword high up to strike a blow when the older man caught it. In his moment of shock Ra’s slammed his hand against Oliver’s throat, taking the sword from him and stabbing it into his side. Oliver fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Don’t be afraid my son, death comes for us all. We can only evade it so long. Consider this an honorable exit.”

He gasped as the blade was shoved through his torso. He coughed up blood as it was removed. Oliver stared at the ground as Ra’s al Ghul began to speak in a language that he didn’t understand. Images began flashing before his eyes; his father looking at him with pride, his mother looking at him with nothing but love before hugging him, Thea’s look of happiness when he came home from the island, and his goodbye with Felicity. 

Oliver barely felt the kick that sent him over the edge - all he could think off, all he could see was Barry’s face, the smile he gave him before they last said goodbye and the kiss they had shared while surrounded by take out bags. He whispered Barry’s name as he fell and blackness overtook him. 

~*~*~

“Felicity, hey. Is everything okay? Oliver hasn’t been answering my calls,” Barry said when he saw the blonde’s name flash on his screen. Honestly, he’d been planning to run over to Starling after work if he hadn’t heard from anyone. He didn’t expecting an answer right away, everyone got busy, but it had been days since he’d heard from Oliver and was starting to worry.

“Barry…” Felicity choked out.

Barry felt his heart plummet and he leaned back in his chair. “Do I need to come - “

“No, no don’t do that. I know I’m being a chicken by doing it this way but I don’t think I can keep it together if I have to do this in person.”

“Felicity, tell me what happened,” Barry said. He managed to keep his voice from cracking, but barely.

“Oliver went to fight Ra’s al Ghul.”

“That’s the leader of the League of Assassins, right? Where is he? I’ll go back him up.”

“Last week the League threatened to start killing innocent people if we didn’t hand over Sara’s killer. I rushed Caitlin and we got the DNA back from the arrow that killed Sara. It was a match for Oliver.”

“Oliver wouldn’t - “

“We know, Barry.” Felicity said softly. “It wasn’t him. We thought maybe Merlyn was framing him. But it wasn’t his DNA - it was Thea’s. She has no idea that she did it. Merlyn drugged her.”

He looked at his computer screen and watched the CCPD logo floated around as his screensaver. “What did he do?”

He could hear he sniff on the other end of the call. “He confessed to killing Sara, challenged Ra’s al Ghul to a trial by combat. Exactly what Merlyn wanted him to do. If Oliver won then all his blood debts would be erased.”

“You said if, Felicity. You said if -”

“Oliver’s dead, Barry. He didn’t beat him. I tested the blood myself.”

“No...maybe there’s something wrong with your machine. Where was the fight, I can go search the area and run tests of my own. Oliver hasn’t been gone long.”

“He’s been gone four days.”

Barry dropped his bag. “Four?”

“He left five days ago. We got the news yesterday. I’m so sorry.” She said, openly crying now.

“Four...he didn’t - “

“I know. He had so much on his mind and he didn’t want to worry about you or you about him and - “

“Do not try to justify him not telling me!” He spat out. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair to you,” he said softly. “

“I should have ignored him and called you.”

Barry looked up and wiped his eyes as an officer walked in. “Felicity, I have to go.”

“Barry - “

“I’ll call you later tonight. Bye.” He set his phone down and looked at Officer Collins. “Can I help you with something?”

“You okay, Allen?” She asked, leaning on one of the tables.

Barry nodded and forced a smile. “Fine, now, what can I help you with?” She didn’t look entirely convinced but told Barry that Singh was asking about some evidence from the other day. He quickly handed her the folder and as soon as she was out of the lab he shut the door and fell back into his seat. 

Oliver was dead.

~*~*~

Oliver woke up, gasping for air. The last thing he remembered was the blade going through him and seeing Barry’s face as he fell. He felt the warmth of the fire and heard the wind howling outside, the softness of the bed and the pain he felt...everywhere. 

“Don’t move. You’ll pull out the sutures, Oliver.”

“Tatsu? How?” He asked looking over. 

“I asked her to come here,” Maseo said and Oliver shifted his focus to him. “So she could bring you back to life.”

“How?” He asked again.

Tatsu sat next to him and helped him drink from a small cup. “Later.”

Oliver sipped it and felt his eyes closing again.

*~*~*

“This is a duel, Oliver, with one of the most dangerous men that ever walked the earth,” Barry said softly.

“I know, and I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think I would win.”

“I don’t doubt that. I don’t doubt that you can beat him. I am terrified that you won’t kill him. That’s not who you are anymore. And I’m afraid that Ra’s al Ghul will use your humanity against you.” He stepped closer to him, his eyes watering.

“You’re right. I’ll stay,” he said smiling at him.

Barry’s eyes lit up with hope. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure of one thing. I love you.”

The smile on Barry’s face got bigger and he stepped into Oliver’s space and kissed him. Oliver held his waist and smiled against Barry’s lips. He let him take a step back and opened his mouth to say something only to hear Barry scream. He felt the blood flow from his mouth and looked down and saw the sword the Ra’s al Ghul used to kill him.

Oliver gasped and opened his eyes. He was greeted by the now familiar dark ceiling of the cabin and the smell of fire. He looked to the side and saw a pile of old bandages. Gathering his strength he pushed himself up and limped to the main part of the dwelling; he could Maseo outside chopping logs and Tatsu grinding some herbs in a bowl. 

‘Oliver, drink this.”

“More herbs?” he asked, leaning on the wall for support.

“Penicillin, for the infection.” She smirked at the grimace he made at the taste.

“You saved my life.”

“The snow and cold helped. And your will to live. You should be dead.” Together they looked out the window and at the man outside of it.

“Did you know Maseo would bring me here?” He gripped the curtain he was clinger to tighter, having trouble bearing his own weight.

“He was the one who told me to meet you at this cabin.” Her eyes went over Oliver, watching in case she needed to step in and catch him - not that Oliver would ever admit to needing the help.

“I didn’t...I didn’t realize that the two of you were still in contact.”

“We are not,” She said softly, her eyes sad as they looked down. They looked over as the topic of their conversation walked inside and set some logs down.

Oliver put a hand on Tatsu’s shoulder, not to support himself, but a silent show of support for her. “Maseo.”

“You’re in no condition to stand.”

He held out an arm to his old friend. “Then help me.” Oliver let most of his weight fall onto Measo as they walked to the seats near the fire. He could feel his wounds pulling under the bandages. “I’m glad you stayed.”

“Then you’ll be disappointed,” Maseo said as he set Oliver down. “When the storm passes I’ll return to Nanda Parbat.”

“Maseo,” Oliver hissed out. “If Ra’s finds out you saved me - betrayed him, he’s going to kill you.”

“Don’t waste your breath or worries on me. Your concern should be for your home and what has become of it in your absence.”

Oliver looked down, biting his tongue to ride out a wave of pain. “What’s happened?” He asked but was ignored as Maseo walked back outside. 

“He does not say much anymore. Now finish your tea and rest. You will undo all the hard work I put in to keep you alive.”

Oliver looked down at the cup in his hands before downing it in one go. He coughed softly and leaned back in the seat. He desperately needed to know what was going on and he didn’t want to sleep again, not when he knew he’d see Barry’s terrified face again. 

The next time he woke up he was back on his bed and had a shirt on. He pushed himself up and Tatsu must have heard him moving around because the next moment she was there, putting a cup of tea in his hands. “Drink.”

He took a sip and watched as Maseo took a bowl of stew outside to keep watch. Oliver smiled comfortingly at Tatsu. “Your penicillin tea tastes like penicillin.” Oliver laughed softly as she sent him an unamused glance and walked over towards him. “You can’t let him go back to the League.”

“It’s not our choice. Maybe we could have changed Maseo’s mind, but not his. And that’s Sarab.” Like usual, she was matter-of-fact but her face said it all. She didn’t want to let her husband leave. 

“Sarab is just a name Ra’s al Ghul calls him. He’s still your husband.” Oliver took the bowl she offered him. “Thank you,” he said softly.

She sat next to him and looked out the window. “Maseo blames himself for what happened.”

Oliver pictured the young boy and looked at the fire. “It wasn’t his fault.”

“The line between grief and guilt is a thin one,” Tatsu said, looking back at the fire with Oliver. “Sometimes death is preferable to the agony of life.”

Oliver watched her walk away before looking back at Maseo and getting lost back in his memories. 

The days that followed were tense and quiet. It seemed like no one wanted to bring up the inevitable, Maseo leaving and what would happen to Oliver once they parted ways. 

Maseo walked over and grabbed his bag. “The storm has passed.

Tatsu and Oliver watched as he threw the bag over his shoulder. Oliver tried to get up, but couldn’t move fast enough to stop him. “Maseo, you don’t have to leave. You can still have a life.”

“Why do you assume I want one?” He asked, his eyes narrowed. Tatsu looked down and Oliver frowned at the anger coming from his friend.

“Because I know you and this isn’t who you are,” Olive said as Maseo walked past him, Tatsu following close behind.

“I love you,” Tatsu said softly, gripping his arm gently.. “No matter who you think you’ve become.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and Oliver looked away. “Maseo?”

The man took a step away from his wife and looked out the window as he reached for the door handle. “They found you.”

Maseo and Tatsu helped Oliver to the bedroom to hide. Oliver listened as Maseo went through the story, that he had found no body and had followed the tracks to the cabin only to find it empty and then the storm had blown in and he’d had to wait it out. Maseo was just going to leave with them when a noise drew their attention to where Oliver and Tatsu were hiding. 

Tatsu used her sword to slay the league member that had investigated the noise while Maseo took out the remaining three. They helped Oliver to the bed so Tatsu could check him over while Maseo took care of the mess. 

“It’s done, the bodies will not be found,” Maseo announced a couple hours later.

“Okay, Maseo, I get you wanting to go back before, but that was before. When Ra’s finds out that you betrayed the League - “

“Maseo!”

“Why the hell would you do that?” Oliver yelled when Maseo used a knife to cut the side of his neck.

“I didn’t.” He said putting the knife back. “You did. In a successful attempt to escape.”

“Or you could just come back to Starling City with me,” Oliver practically begged. Tatsu tried one last plea, but both watched as Maseo walked out into the cold. 

~*~*~

After Hartley was dealt with, Joe talked to, and his lab shut down for the night Barry finally went home. He sped to his room and changed quickly before settling on the couch with a bag of chips and put on a random documentary. He ate quietly and tried to focus on the show, but just like every time he tried to wind down Oliver entered his mind.

He’d told the others the news, that Oliver was dead, but he still hadn’t told any of them just what the archer meant to him. Barry had talked to Felicity a couple more times but she was so engulfed with helping the others keep the city together and dealing with her own grief that he felt bad for bothering her.

“Barry!” Barry jumped, the empty bag of chips and remote falling to the floor. Joe laughed as he set his keys by the door and took his jacket off. “That show must be really interesting.”

Barry forced a laugh and wiped his eyes. “Yeah...the meerkats are -”

“Nope. Uh-uh, tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

Joe sat on the coffee table, blocking the television from sight. “You’ve been distracted for weeks. You’ve been doing okay at hiding it, but ever since you told me about Queen - it's about him, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it's about him,” Barry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He kept his eyes down, not able to look Joe in the face for this. “Ollie...Oliver and I were…”

“We’re what, Bear?”

“Dating, I guess. We’d just started seeing each other after Bivilo. It was pretty new and I’m not sure...I mean we never actually discussed being exclusive or anything. And now...now he’s gone and I didn’t get to say goodbye or help him.” Barry wiped his eyes. 

“He took the blame for someone’s murder and he had a trial by combat and he didn’t win, Joe. Oliver died because he was trying to save someone he cared about.”

Joe gripped Barry’s shoulder. “He was invincible, Barry. No one ever is. You said he died saving someone right? He died doing the right thing.”

“I know that!”

“You’re mad,” Joe said, leaning back a bit so he could take all of Barry in.

Barry stood up and paced. “He didn’t tell me,” He said softly. “Oliver didn’t tell me that he was doing this. I knew about Sara’s murder. But I hadn’t heard anything since Caitlin sent the recovered DNA back to Starling City. 

“Someone drugged his sister and got her to kill Sara. The League of Assassins - I’ll tell you later - demanded Oliver to turn the killer in. When Oliver learned it was Thea he took the blame and went off to duel Ra’s al Ghul.”

“And this Raz guy - “

“Ra’s,” Barry said, falling back to the couch.

“Ra’s, beat him.”

“Didn’t just beat him. Killed him. And I’m not mad that he died protecting Thea. It hurts so much, but we take that risk. We both knew that something could happen to the other. I think it’s one of the things that brought us together, you know?

“But he made this decision and he didn’t tell me. He didn’t tell me he challenged Ra’s. He didn’t tell me he was leaving town, nothing. He didn’t even think of me when he left. I found out five days after he left, four days after he was killed. Four, Joe. I thought he and I were really going somewhere, I love...loved him.”

Joe moved over to the couch and put his arm around Barry. “Maybe he wasn’t ready to say goodbye? I saw the way he looked at you when he was in town, and the kid cared about you Barry. Maybe he didn’t express it in the best way, but he cared.”

“You don’t even like him,” Barry whispered against his shoulder. 

“No, he wasn’t my favorite person, but you liked him. I could see that. As long as he was good to you I wasn’t going to get in your way. I want nothing more than for my kids to be happy.”

Barry let his head rest on Joe’s shoulder. “How do I get past this?”

“You don’t, but it gets easier,” Joe said and Barry could see him fiddling with his wedding ring. 

“Thanks...it felt really good to finally just...talk to someone about it.”

“Anytime, Bear, anytime.”

Barry stood up and smiled softly at Joe. He went to grab the empty bag but Joe waved him off and told him to get some rest. He walked up the stairs at a normal pace and laid in bed, his arms wrapped around one of his extra pillows. Barry looked out his window and stared at the sky, not bothering to wipe the tears anymore. He tucked his head into his pillow, and just like every night he said a silent good night to his mother and this time said another one to Oliver. 

*~*~*

“Are you trying to kill yourself?”

Oliver coughed and adjusted the straps on his bag. “I have to get back.”

“You have to rest. I supposed you planned to leave without telling me,” Tatsu said, folding her arms and watching him from the table.

“Well, I knew that you wouldn’t approve. You saved my life, thank you.”

“Maseo saved it. I merely treated you. And you’re going to undo all that hard work if you try to leave now.” She walked over and knelt by the fire and warmed her hands. 

“I can’t stay here any longer. My sister. My city. My - “

“Barry?” Oliver looked over quickly. He regretted it instantly when he felt the healing skin on his side pull at the sudden movement. “You talk in your sleep. They will mourn your passing, I’m sure.” She stood walking closer to him. 

“If you’re so concerned just come with me. You can make sure I drink my penicillin tea.”

“Like Maseo, I have disappeared from the world. I have no desire to return.”

“Tatsu,” He said softly. He’d never experienced a loss like theirs, and he couldn’t imagine going through it. He hated the thought of leaving her like this, but he had to get back. He had to continue his mission and fix things. 

“Be well, Oliver.”

He made it a few miles down the mountain, the ice cold giving way to a heavy chill and the white turning green, the sun had begun to set. He rested his hand on his stomach and leaned on a tree. “If you want to tell me I told you so, how about you say it in person?” He looked back at her and saw the small smile on her face. “Just couldn’t stay away from me, could ya?” 

She caught up with him and once they found a suitable place to stop she got a fire going and prepared his tea for him. “What changed your mind?” He asked, watching her.

“I’ve been to enough funerals.”

“So help me.”

“That isn’t what I’ve been doing?” She sat on a log across from him.

“The man the Maseo serves, if he finds out I’m alive he is going to come for me. And my sister.”

“Ra’s al Ghul?”

“Yes.”

“Measo spoke of him while you were recuperating.”

“He fights with swords. And he’s good. And I seem to remember you being pretty good with a blade yourself.”

“Mastery of swords is more than mastery of technique. To defeat this man you must think like him. Be like him. You must fight in the ways he does. Your only hope for such a teacher is Maseo. Only the student has hope of defeating the master.”

Oliver looked away from her and to the fire. “I have one other option.” He said quietly and took a sip of his tea. “The man who caused all this, who framed my sister. He was a member of the League.”

“Is it worth it? To trust such a man?” 

“It has to be.” He said softly and settled in for the night. He closed his eyes and focused on the heat from the fire.

The journey down the mountain and to a road took a couple more days. From there it was a couple of hours before they came across a truck. Oliver made a deal with the driver, handing over some money before walking back to Tatsu. 

“Is it safe?” She asked, looking over the beat up vehicle. 

“Safer than a boat,” he said chuckling.

She dug a small leather purse out of her bag. “Your medicine. Apply twice a day.”

“Okay. Tatsu, would you come with me?” he asked again.

“So I can watch you die at the hands of Maseo’s master?”

“I do not intend to die.”

“There are many forms of death. To defeat a man like this Ra’s al Ghul you must be willing not just to die, but to know what you must have to sacrifice in order to beat him.”

“And what will that be?”

“I don’t know. That is what you will have to discover. But it will be whatever you hold most precious.”

Oliver hugged her, gripping her back gently before they pulled away from each other. He smiled softly and turned, climbing onto the truck.

He stayed quiet on the ride, contemplating what she had said. He was going to fight for everything he had. All of it. Once he was dropped off, Oliver did everything he could to get back to Starling City as fast as he could. He took the travel time to catch up on the news and what was going on. 

His first stop was the foundry where he suited up and took off. He rode his bike to The Glades, taking up a perch on a roof and fired an arrow into a man that had gone after Roy before going after Brick. 

Oliver dropped down onto the asphalt, arrow ready when he saw Malcolm standing over Brick with a gun. “Don’t do it,” He said, lowering his own weapon. 

“You’re too late!”

“Drop the gun, no more death.”

“That’s easy for you to say, you just returned from the grave.” Merlyn kept the gun pointed on Brickwell, but he looked at Oliver. The wild look in his eyes made Oliver tense up, ready to act and intervene physically if need be.

“Killing him won’t balance the scales.”

“When you have killed 503 people, including your own son, you tend not to worry about scales. And don’t tell me it won’t stop the pain and it won’t bring her back because you don’t understand! If I had taken care of him back then it could all be different. The League, the undertaking, Tommy. Every choice I have made since my wife died.” He looked back down at Brick, his finger never moving from the trigger

“You make a different choice now, for Thea.”

“Thea will never forgive me.”

“Start giving her reasons to.”

Merlyn looked away and shut his eyes before looking down at Brick again. He tossed the gun aside before slamming his fist into the side of his head. “Don’t make me regret this.” Merely picked his bow up and left the alley.

Oliver hoisted Brick up and bound his hands before leading him out of the alley and to the police. He saw the people of the Glades gathering around, news cameras, and cell phones all pointed in his direction. He jumped onto the police van, ignoring the pain in his abdomen.

“I’ve been gone and I’m sorry. Sorry for what the city has had to endure in my absence. But you did endure it. And the evidence of that struggle is lying at my feet! You did not fail this city and I promise I will not fail you by leaving it again.” He fired a jettison arrow and took off over top of the crowd. 

He changed behind a building before driving his back to the apartment that he shared with Thea. Without knocking he opened the door. “Is my room still available?”

“Where have you been? I’ve been worried about you.” Thea got off the couch and rushed over to him. Oliver returned the hug, his eyes going to Merlyn while Thea had her back turned. 

“I was in Bludhaven. Ran into an old friend of mine. Things got interesting and I actually spent the last few weeks in jail,” he said, looking down and shrugging gently.

“Thought you grew out of that.”

“So did I.” He looked back over at Merlyn.

“Ollie - “ Thea started.

“It's okay.”

“Good to see you again, Oliver.” Merlyn held his hand out and Oliver shook it.

“Yeah,” he said, but he and Merlyn never looked away from each other.

“I think I’m hallucinating, but thank you for being cool with this. I’m going to make some tea and try to keep things zen.”

“Thank you for not making this difficult for her. I wasn’t always like this you know. Before Rebecca died I was a good father.” The pair of men walked over to the windows so it would be harder for Thea to over hear them speaking. 

“I remember.”

“Killing changes you. It takes a piece of your soul and you can never get it back again. Oliver, I know I wasn’t there for Tommy but I see Thea as my chance for redemption.”

“You turned my sister into a killer and put her in the crosshairs of one of the most dangerous men on the planet.” Oliver scoffed at the idea of Merlyn feeling anything, that he could get redemption after what he had put his family through. 

“And you won’t believe me but I did so with a heavy heart and expecting a different outcome.” Oliver could tell that Meryln believed his own words, and that’s what made him dangerous. The man had honestly believed that he was doing the right thing for Thea, even it was only for himself.

“Ra’s is going to come for me. And he will learn the truth about Sara eventually.”

“And then he will come for Thea. And me.”

“It's why I have to kill him,” He said looking over in Thea’s direction.

“You couldn’t before.”

“This time I will have you to train me.” Oliver hated to admit it, but he needed the man’s help if he had any hope of keeping Thea alive.Ra’s had to be seated and Oliver did not have that type of skill with a blade. 

“Only the student has hope to defeat the master.” Merlyn echoed the words from Tatsu.

*~*~*

Barry walked into the cortex after his latest training run; lately it was the only thing helping him clear his head enough so that he could sleep. Everytime he fell asleep it seemed that he had dreams of his mother’s death but eventually the body on the floor would shift and become Joe, then Iris. It would cycle through his friends until Oliver was laying lifeless in front of him. Barry would always wind up on his knees, cradling the ever-changing body, helpless to stop it from happening.

He pulled at the sweat shirt he was wearing when he heard his phone go off. Barry picked it up and saw Joe’s face on the screen. “Hey, I’m getting ready to - “

“Bear, turn on channel 42.”

“Okay, what’s on...oh.”

_ “I’ve been gone and I’m sorry. Sorry for what the city has had to endure in my absence. But you did endure it. And the evidence of that struggle is lying at my feet! You did not fail this city and I promise I will not fail you by leaving it again.” _

Barry watched Oliver’s speech, watched him take off into the night. “That’s ah…”

“Do you want me to come get you?”

“No, I ah...I think i’m gonna make a trip to Starling.”

He could hear Joe on the other end of the line. “Be careful. Love you, Bear.”

“Love you too, Joe.” He said and hung up, his eyes still on the monitor. The short speech was practically on a loop in the background while the reporter on the scene was relaying all the information. 

Barry looked down at his phone to see if he had missed any calls and his heart sunk when he saw that there was none. He quickly showered and took off, running the 600 miles to Starling City.

*~*~*

Oliver walked into the foundry, almost peaking around some of the shelving. “I’m sorry I didn’t come by sooner. I just wanted to check in on Thea.” He winced as Felicity ran into him, enveloping him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. “I’m okay.”

“Merlyn told us you were killed.” Diggle stood a few feet away, his hands planted on his hips. 

“I was close. I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner. I wasn’t exactly in a cell service area.” Oliver stepped around Felicity and over to Diggle. He shook his hand, smiling at him. “You kept the city together.” He turned to Roy and shook his. “Saved the Glades. Well done.”

Oliver saw the sword that killed him lying on a table and stepped over to it, his hand hovering over it. Diggle watched him. “Gift from Malcolm Merlyn. He went looking for you.”

“It’s Ra’s al Ghul’s, right?” Roy asked.

“Yep.”

“So what are we going to do about him? If he finds out about Thea - “

“Merlyn and I are working on that.” Oliver said crossing his arms.

“Sorry,” Felicity said and Oliver took a deep breath. He knew there’d be push back, and he was right in thinking that it was going to come from Felicity. “For a second there it sounded like you said Merlyn.”

“I need to know how to defeat Ra’s. Merlyn has the knowledge,” Oliver said, defending the choice he was making.

“Merlyn is a monster. You are in this situation, Thea is in this situation, because of him.”

Oliver couldn’t deny what she said. He agreed with her, but he needed her to understand. “Felicity - “

“No, just a few hours ago I stood right here and I swore there was no way that you would ever agree to work with Malcolm Merlyn. Not ever. I guess I was wrong about everything. I need some air. I’m glad you’re not dead.” She said, walking past him.

Oliver rubbed his hand over his eyes and sighed. When he looked back up he saw Diggle and Roy watching him. “Yeah, I’m going.”

Moments later Barry flashed in. “Ollie?”

Diggle shook his head. “He’s outside, getting an earful from Felicity.”

“Good...jerk deserves it.” Barry muttered.

*~*~*

He walked out of the club and found her standing near some of the trash bins. “Felicity - “

“I need some air really means I don’t want to talk...right now.”

“I’m sorry,” He said again.

“For what?” She asked, turning to face him, her hands thrown out to her sides. “Maybe you could be a little more specific. For letting us believe you were dead? For weeks! Or for abandoning every principle you claim to have by getting into bed with Malcolm Merlyn?”

He took steps towards her and stopped when she shook her head at him. “That’s not why you’re upset.”

“While you were gone, for almost a month, I allowed myself to fantasize, to dream, that maybe, just maybe, Merlyn was wrong. That you were alive and that you would come back. And that when you did you would be different. That almost dying would give you a new perspective on life, that you would just do things differently.”

“How I handle things, you mean,” Oliver said with a sigh. Felicity walked past him and back downstairs and he followed. “I didn’t think - 

Felicity walked forward, pushing her finger into his chest. “Do you know who had to tell Barry about you? About what you did?”

“You told Barry? Felicity - “

“Was I not supposed to find out?” Barry asked softly, standing next to Diggle. “Was I not supposed to notice you not picking up the phone or answering my texts. Or if I came by, like I planned on doing because I was  _ worried _ , Oliver, that you not being in town would make that worry go away? Was I just supposed to be okay with my boyfriend going off grid? I thought we talked about this.”

“Wait, you two are - “ Roy started to say.

“Not now, man,.” Diggle said, putting his hand on Roy’s shoulder and leading him out.

Oliver opened his mouth and shut it, looking at Felicity. “Nope, I’m going back outside to talk to Roy and Diggle about how frustrating you are. You deserve this.” She walked past Barry, nudging him gently, before heading back outside. 

“Did our talk mean nothing to you? I thought you trusted me, that you knew you could talk to me.”

“Barry, it wasn’t that. Of course I trust you.” Oliver walked over to him, frowning when Barry took a step back from him. “I knew that if I told you, that you ask to help or ask me to stay.” He reached out again and led Barry over to the couch. “I have a really hard time saying no to you.”

“I could have saved you.” 

“You wouldn’t have been allowed to interfere. And do you think I wanted you to see that? You already watched your mother die, I didn’t want to make things harder for you then they already have been.”

Barry gripped his hand. “Once they left the site I could have run you to a hospital. Or back here! Something. Just because you’re confident that you were going to win doesn’t mean things always go...wait. You didn’t expect to win, did you.”

Oliver looked down at their hands and gripped Barry’s tightly. “Barry, I - “

“You knew you weren’t coming back.”

“No, I hoped I would. I needed to save Thea. I wanted to come back to you, of course I did.” Oliver took Barry’s face between his hands. “You’re what I thought about while I was falling. What I dreamed about while I was recovering. I wanted to get back to you.”

Barry sighed and closed his eyes. He tilted his head slightly and kissed Oliver’s wrist before looking back at him. “This is not okay.” He said softly.

“I know. I know I keep disappointing you and I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t disappoint me, Ollie. You hurt me.” Oliver looked down, not knowing what else to say. Barry wrapped his arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re alive.” He whispered. 

Oliver clung to him, putting his face in Barry’s neck. “I’ll be better.”

Barry pulled back and pecked his lips. “You need to get this handled here. Maybe once Thea is safe we can work all this out.”

“Barry - this is...just a break right?”Oliver panicked slightly. He’d hesitated to put a label on them, but now if he didn’t even get that chance.

Oliver let some of the tension out of his muscles when Barry chuckled. “Yes - just a break. You need me, I’ll be here, okay? I promise. And when Thea is safe we’ll talk. Figure us out. I really don’t want to let this go, okay?” He watched as Barry stood up and grabbed one of the special protein bars Cisco made for him from a drawer. “Get some rest, you look like crap.”

“You could stay.”

Barry shook his head. “I need to get home. Joe’s probably freaking out right now and I think we both have some thinking to do.”

“Joe’s going to murder me, Barry.”

Barry smiled softly and kissed his head before speeding out of the foundry. 

Oliver stood and pulled his shirt off. He removed the old bandages and walked over to grab new ones. Diggle walked down and sighed. “You are the worst at that, you know?” The older man took over, wrapping the bandages tightly around Oliver’s midsection. “You all right, man?”

“I don’t know, Dig. I don’t know.”

**Author's Note:**

> So the next part won;t be a crossover either. I'm planning on it focusing on the season one finale and season two premiere of The Flash. I want to handle the fall out from this before the Flash season two/Arrow season 4 crossover.
> 
> Please let me know if there is an episode or specific scene that you would like to see. Please comment and let me know what you think!


End file.
